Making room for the backyard aquaponics project
Step one of making room for the backyard aquaponics system was to clean out the greenhouse and relocate one of the raised boxes. It took us a couple of mornings, but step one is now complete.
Step two was to bring the framework upstairs and get it coated with a protective stain. That framework won’t have any contact with either the water or the plants, so we’re still inside the organic regulations. The blue barrels will sit on this framework.
The barrels have been cut and Cindy is now working on the plumbing. There’s a ton of connections to be made and many pieces of PVC to be cut and glued. Once these have been “test fitted”, the barrels and plumbing will be brought to the greenhouse for installation.
Cindy also connected with the right Department of Natural Resources person , who cleared our confusion regarding any need for an aquaculture permit. As long as the fish are either turned into fertilizer at the end of their life, of in the case of trout, for our use only, we have no permitting requirements.
To start, we’ll use common goldfish as we’re moving into warmer weather. According to all the experts, many of these fish will also sacrifice themselves as learn to balance the system. By next fall, we will locate a company within Utah that raises sterile trout for winter use.
Stay tuned as we will begin hooking everything up in a week or two. Part of the delay will be the arrival of the greenhouse covers. Also finding the right morning (no wind, and well above freezing) and gathering a crew from amongst our neighbors determines the installation date.
